


Fleeing the Castle

by orphan_account



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Betrayal, Fire, Gen, Horseback Riding, Horses, Hyrule Castle, Hyrule Castle is on fire, Impa cares about Zelda, Impa is a good mom, Ocarina of Time, Prequel, Royalty, Running Away, Sheikah, The king is ignorant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-22 20:09:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21082385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ganondorf betrays and kills the King of Hyrule and sets Hyrule Castle aflame. Zelda and Impa must escape before he can obtain the Triforce of Wisdom.





	Fleeing the Castle

**Author's Note:**

> My mind’s full of Zelda nowadays. Enjoy!

Impa grabbed Zelda and ran. The princess is sobbing, wailing as everything she loved and cherished burns to the ground. Carpets and curtains, pillars and monuments, the garden and the dining hall, all shrinking to nothing but black ash.

Hyrule Castle is in flames.

The Sheikah carries her princess in her arms, her ninja-like speed zipping past the walls of fire. She flees up the stairs and searches for an exit, panicking when Zelda grips her shirt tighter and muffles her cries into it. Never does Impa wish to admit it, but that is the least of their problems at the moment. The goal right now is to get out alive.

The woman falters when a large piece of rubble blocks her way. Fire whips her ankle and good Hylia, it burns. Frantically, she curses under her breath when she realizes they are surrounded, there is nowhere to escape, that is until she looks up to see the smoke-filled sky. Impa leaps up onto a wall, just in time before a pillar would have crushed them. The wall she is on is still sturdy, somewhere where the fire has not reached yet.

"Oh thank Hylia," she nearly whimpers and sets Zelda down. The girl is shaking like a frightened animal and clings to Impa, not letting go, even when the woman tells her it is okay.

"It is not," Zelda cries. "It is not okay...everything is not okay!"

Impa winces as she feels a spear of despair stab her heart. "I know, I know…" She hugs Zelda close, realizing she, too, was clinging to her.

"Why?" Zelda says as she pounds the concrete with a fist. "Why mustn't he listen?!"

Impa has no excuse to object. She is also culpable for this.

"Why must he not listen to me?! Why?!"

No excuse.

As much as Impa wants to help and soothe the girl, the important thing right now is escape without much harm done to either of them. She gently helps Zelda stand after helplessly listening to her pained wails, pulling her closer. Zelda's arms wrap around Impa and latch onto her. With one hand, she clutches her pocket — the one that holds her precious ocarina.

"Find a way out," Impa says, breathless, looking for one herself.

Zelda nods and, despite it wanting to make her cry again, tries to navigate the flame-engulfed castle. She cannot even recognize where they are anymore. Is this the courtyard? The roof? It hurts to even think about it.

The princess thinks she sees an opening when suddenly Impa is running again. Swift and meticulous movements carry Impa and Zelda to another unknown, destroyed area. No matter how far they scurry away, everything around them remains ablaze.

"We need to run," Impa says. "He — he is after us."

  
Zelda's eyes widen. The unsettling dread gnawing at her gut was right- they are in grave danger. She doesn't need ask- cannot ask who is after them. Because she knows it's Ganondorf; he is the man who started this tragedy.

They come to an abrupt stop when they find themselves looking down at the ground. Both of them are unbelievably high in the sky, the smoke blocking out most of what used to be seen from this point. Impa curses and Zelda can hear her bludgeoning heartbeat.

"Finally," comes a low and horrifying voice. "I have found you."

The girls look behind them and see the man responsible standing there. Ganondorf, with a wide and evil grin, approaches the two of them with large strides. His stocky image and clenched fists frighten Zelda — what he _did_ with those hands.

_"You have my utmost respect."_

_The King of Hyrule clutches his chest and coughs. The disturbingly large blade shines with his blood as he has trouble comprehending what just happened._

_"Do not fret," Ganondorf says, the King hearing the malevolent grin on his face, "your kingdom is not what I am after."_

_Another cough escapes him and he is on the floor, his garbled breaths making him quiver. The Gerudo King merely watches him, like he is something undeserved of this world. Puny. All his hard work of feigning kindness has succeeded in the end._

_Ganondorf takes some nearby incense and prepares to light the room, when he hears—_

_"..-da…"_

_He twists his head to the dying man._

_"Hm?"_

_The King is glaring. "My...Zelda…"_

_Ganondorf strains himself trying not to roll his eyes. "Your daughter? Well, I suppose it is natural for one to worry about family in a state of crisis. She will be safe. As long as she gives me the Triforce and the Ocarina of Time, nothing shall be done to her."_

_The world crumbles further in the King's eyes. Ganondorf...is after the Triforce? What for? The Triforce is sealed in the Sacred Realm...does he...know about his daughter's secret? What does this man...no, this villain, want with the Triforce? Knowing Zelda, she would never give it to a man like him…! His daughter- Zelda is in danger!_

_"You seem puzzled," Ganondorf continues. "If you wish to know," he lifts his fist to reveal a glowing, golden triangle on the back of his hand, "then let this be your final image."_

_The King's eyes widened like saucers, the unbelievable image carving itself into his retinas._

_That is…!_

_That is the Triforce of Power…! Th-this man has such a blessing?! It...cannot be!_

_As the King's world fades, as the flames grow taller amongst him, the last thing he hears is the low chuckle of the man he thought to be his friend. All he could worry about, think about, was Zelda. How wrong it was of him...he should have listened to her._

_I am sorry, Zelda, my beloved little girl...please...be safe…!_

"Ganondorf, you villain!" Impa shouts, trying to hide Zelda further behind her.

The Gerudo King says nothing and stops a few feet away from them. With the flames dancing behind him, it is almost as if he wants them to remember him like this — like this is their last moment alive.

"I only need her," he says, pointing to the scarred child Impa is holding. "Hand her over and you shall live, woman."

It makes her pull Zelda even closer to the point it's nearly suffocating. "Tch…!" Impa realizes that this, too, was part of his plan. They are cornered with nowhere to run. If they could only…!

"Easy, now." Ganondorf steps closer to the shivering duo, Zelda crying into Impa's clothes whilst clutching the back of her hand. Impa almost slips off the edge before a blade of fire snaps her attention to the situation. They have to move…! He is getting closer, think of something! Think! Think! Ganondorf is now reaching for the girl.

Heart full of panic, her mind swimming, Zelda's tears staining her clothes, before Ganondorf could grab them, Impa's body takes over and—

She _jumps._

_Zelda screams when she wakes. Her breath is heavier than ever, huge gasps instead of tranquil sighs. Frantically, she scrambles out of bed and throws open her window._

_The stars twinkle in the sky, bright as ever. Zelda cannot explain the amount of relief that came over her when she saw those stars. Oh, thank Hylia, thank Hylia...it was just a dream. A dream that had been so intense it woke her with tears in her eyes._

_—BANG!—_

_Her bedroom door is kicked open, revealing Impa standing there with a trademark blade of the Sheikah at_ _her side. "Princess!" She looks as if she has run a marathon. "Wha — what’s happened?!"_

_"Impa…" Zelda's voice is shaky and full of terror, uncharacteristic of her. The Sheikah hurries over to the girl and looks out the window, vigilant, searching for the threat at hand._

_"Where did it go? Who was here?"_

_"No," the princess says, gripping the windowsill. "It...was nothing. It was...a dream. I had an awful dream…!" The first time she finally tells Impa about her nightmares is here, and Zelda cannot hold herself back. "It was awful!"_

_The knife is dropped and Impa's arms are around the girl, rocking her back and forth. "Oh, no, princess…shh, shh, everything is fine…"_

_"Clouds," Zelda whispers. "I saw clouds. Humongous, dark ones. Hyrule never saw the light of day again...everyone was in agony…!"_

_Impa listens in silence._

_"No one was happy! Everything had gone wrong! But…I saw…"_

_A long pause intervenes, and Impa tells her to keep going._

_She sniffles. "I saw a boy. A boy in green with a fairy at his side. He had a sword and — the light, it was as if...it graced him, blessed him with a power that — that made the darkness flee…"_

_A boy? A fairy? Impa's brows pinch._

_"Those clouds are evil," is the sentence that makes Impa's heart drop. Evil…? She was not an expert at deciphering dreams, but if Zelda can carefully explain her experiences and decipher them herself, then…_

_...A...prophecy...?_

_"E-evil...is approaching…! Impa…! You have to believe me!" The girl shoves herself away, "It was real! It was not just a dream!"_

_"Princess…"_

_"Please, Impa! We have to- Hyrule is in trouble! We must leave immediately!"_

_"Princess, it is not that simple...your father must decide that. You…have minimal authority, but you are still part of the Royal Family."_

_Zelda whimpers. "He would not understand! You must believe me, Impa!"_

_Impa sighs and shakes her head. "I believe you, Zel- princess. For now, however, you must rest. Shall I play you your lullaby?"_

_The girl agrees meekly and tries to set her nightmare to the side, for now. Tomorrow, she decides to have a serious talk with her father. There is little chance he will understand, she knows, but she has to at least try._

_"I believe every word you say," Impa says. "Never shall I leave your side." She begins to hum Zelda's Lullaby, a tune that soothes the princess to her core. As if it was divine magic, Zelda's eyes flutter shut, the music disentangling her stress into nothingness._

_Tomorrow, she will assert her theory to her father._

Zelda screams at the top of her lungs when they fall. Impa clutches the girl tightly, desperately trying to navigate their landing, hope ebbing away with each second passing. The smoke of the fire makes the ground literally invisible.

The princess looks behind them, up at where they once stood. Ganondorf is there. He is watching with wide, astounded eyes, but a subtle, sly smile still on his lips. It quickly disappears with the smoke and she braces herself for death — she accepts it after so many years of avoiding it.

They fall, and fall, nothing below their feet, Impa's body feeling rubbery, until-

Water hits them.

_Water…?_

On reflex, Impa holds her princess and swims upward. Zelda spits out some water and gasps for breath. _The castle moat?_

"Y-Your highness…!" a rather friendly but shaken voice calls. Impa cannot see, but cannot afford to assume the worst. Someone grabs her arms and hoists the two of them upward and onto dry land. "W-what happened to the castle?! Where is the king?! Oh- princess!"

She opens her eyes and-

Guards!

"Silence, you fools!" Impa yells with vexation, startling the lot. "Prepare the steed immediately!"

Panting, crying, panicking, Zelda's next few moments are a blur, but she remembers being lifted onto a white horse, being told to hold onto Impa and not let go. Impa yells out, "Do not fight that man!" to someone behind them. She whips the reins and the horse jolts forward, speeding off with the Sheikah and the princess as fast as it could.

They storm through the Castle Town, the people there barely dodging the runaway horse, yelping. The image of Zelda, their princess fleeing the castle was their only warning of the inevitable. Guards lower the drawbridge, and only now do they realize what a dreadful night it is, rain beginning to pound against their armor, the lightning threatening to smite them, the castle in flames. The princess and the Sheikah make it across the bridge safely, but something catches their eye- Impa dismisses it and focuses on her mission, but Zelda watches it zip by, and her heart almost stops when she sees—

_Ah…!_

_Link!_

A boy in green, a fairy at his side, a sword on his back, there stands the one she entrusted her life to. He is watching, wide-eyed, clearly confused. Surely he must have seen the flames! That is why he must have come running back!

Zelda gasps. "L-Link! Impa, turn back! We must turn back! Link is there, he has returned!"

"I cannot!" the woman shouts through the chaos. "I apologize, Zelda! Your life is in danger! I am taking both of us to safety! Again, I am deeply sorry!" It pains Impa to leave that kid behind. If he has returned, like Zelda said, does that mean he succeeded in gathering the stones…?

She suddenly feels shameful, for she truly underestimated him.

Zelda, however, is heartbroken, Link slowly fading from sight—but her body takes over, just like Impa's, and—

She hurls her prized and precious Ocarina of Time at him with all what little strength she has left. He is the one who can open the Door of Time. He is the one who knows her lullaby. He...Link is the one who can stop this tragedy.

"Link!" she screams, hoping it reaches him. "Please! Save Hyrule! Help us! We need you! Hyrule needs you!"

For a moment, she thought she saw him nod.

But he is already gone and out of her sight.

* * *

"Boy."

The kid garbed in green jolts and swiftly turns around. His blue eyes go wide, but he does not flinch. The black stallion nickers, the man atop of it staring darkly at the boy in front of him. An incredibly evil night it was, and it was this kid's lucky day.

He is the first to see the future ruler of the world.

"You must have seen a white horse run from here. Where did it go?"

A fairy, accompanied with the boy, backs away and hides under the kid's cap. The kid in question stares at him for a few moments in disbelief. A scowl then crosses his expression, furious, full of hate, a face that even the Gods would fear. He courageously fixes his stance and draws his sword.

Ganondorf curiously lifts a brow. "Oh? You want to fight me? Well, aren't you a knight in shining armor?" He lets out his darkly low chuckle, a maddening smile creeping its way in. "Tell me, do you value your life, boy?"

His gets no response; the boy's lips are sealed. He truly looks ready to fight.

The Gerudo King frowns. "I only need directions. Do so, and I shall spare you."

Again, no response. The boy grips his sword tighter.

_Children are truly foolish nowadays._

Sighing, Ganondorf lifts his hand to the kid, a dark, black magic swirling in his palm. The boy looks momentarily frightened before a blast and shockwave smites him like the lightning above, dropping his weapon and his face transforming into agony as he shouts in pain. It blasts him back and he lands pathetically on the ground, paralyzed. His fairy escapes his cap, bouncing frantically around him, shouts of worry trying to reach him.

"Do _not_ get in my way."

With that, Ganondorf snaps the reins of his stallion, dark as his heart, and rides off in search of the missing princess. The Triforce cannot get away that easily, he will make sure of it. As he rides forth, he feels as if it was...a mistake to let that boy live. He must not worry about it now, however, his mission is not over.

The Triforce will be his, and he will rule the world.

_Ganon shall return._


End file.
